Selection of working environment representatives

99In enterprises with ten or more employees and on building sites with five or more employees, the employees must select a working environment representative to represent them within the working environment organisation.

It is important to ensure that employees play an active part in the working environment organisation for the working environment work to proceed properly. Therefore, the management team within the enterprise must make the effort to persuade employees to select a working environment representative.

If they are unsuccessful, the supervisor will work alone on the working environment team until the staff have selected a working environment representative. The employer must regularly encourage staff to select a working environment representative.

The working environment representative is selected from all employees covered by the working environment team or the working environment organisation. The employer, business managers and supervisors do not take part in this selection process.

The regulations on selection of shop stewards within the agreement field in question are normally what define who can be selected.

Staff normally select a working environment representative for two years at a time, but if the enterprise and the employees agree, the function period can be extended to up to four years.
The working environment representative is protected from dismissal or having his employment terms cut back in the same way as shop stewards within the agreement field.
If there is disagreement on this protection, it must be decided by means of the industrial disputes procedure, i.e. during mediation meetings between the parties, and possibly the Industrial Court.